ENTERTAINMENT
XPEC names first CEO
XPEC Entertainment Inc (樂陞科技) yesterday appointed its chief operating officer Jean-Marc Morel as the company’s first chief executive officer as part of its structural adjustment. Morel has been the company’s chief operating officer since April last year, overseeing product research and development, XPEC said. The troubled game developer’s shares fluctuated in Taipei trading yesterday with its shares falling by the daily maximum limit to NT$15.60 on opening, but rose to NT$15.95 in a bid for more than 412,000 shares 30 minutes later. The shares closed at NT$15.65, falling 9.54 percent from the previous closing. A total of 401 million shares changed hands.
SEMICONDUCTORS
Wafer shipments to rise 2%
Global shipments of polished silicon and epitaxial silicon wafers are expected to rise 2 percent in the next two years, with shipments expected to surpass last year’s results, the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International trade association said in a report released yesterday. Shipments would reach 10,444 million square inches (MSI) this year, 10,642 MSI next year, and 10,897 MSI in 2018, the report said. Following a gradual recovery in the past few months, the semiconductor industry is expected to post year-on-year improvements in shipments until 2018, the association said.
APPAREL
WW seeks Taipei listing
WW Holding Inc (威宏), a Taiwanese sportswear contract manufacturer, yesterday announced that the company is seeking to have its shares listed on the Taipei Exchange next month. The company, which operates plants producing sports and casual bags and accessories in China, said its major clients include Nike, Under Armor and Kipling. The company also branched out into retail distribution for Prince, a sportswear brand, it said. Last year, the company reported annual sales of NT$5.21 billion (US$164 million), generating earnings of NT$5.46 per share.
BEVERAGES
Starbucks unveils new drink
President Starbucks Coffee Corp (統一星巴克), a joint venture between President Chain Store Corp (PCSC, 統一超商) and the Seattle-based Starbucks, is to unveil a new Frappuccino, featuring peanuts and mesona jelly (仙草), which are commonly used in Taiwanese desserts. The beverage, exclusive to Taiwan, is to be available at the company’s 393 outlets in the nation today, the company said.
TELECOMS
Taiwan Star to meet target
Taiwan Star Telecom Corp (台灣之星) is optimistic that the company can meet its goal of 1 million 4G subscribers before the end of this year, despite concerns over severe price competition in the sector. Sales are expected to grow 12 percent this year, compared with 11 percent last year, Taiwan Star president Cliff Lai (賴弦五) told reporters yesterday. However, Lai said that the company would face increased competition as rivals Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), Taiwan Mobile Corp (台灣大哥大) and Far EasTone Telecommunications Co Ltd (遠傳電信) launch unlimited 4G subscription plans for less than NT$700 per month. Taiwan Star also urged people to be aware of potential eyesight damage, citing findings from a survey it conducted, as more than 60 percent of smartphone users spend more than five hours per day using their mobile devices, the survey found.
Vincent Wei led fellow Singaporean farmers around an empty Malaysian plot, laying out plans for a greenhouse and rows of leafy vegetables. What he pitched was not just space for crops, but a lifeline for growers struggling to make ends meet in a city-state with high prices and little vacant land. The future agriculture hub is part of a joint special economic zone launched last year by the two neighbors, expected to cost US$123 million and produce 10,000 tonnes of fresh produce annually. It is attracting Singaporean farmers with promises of cheaper land, labor and energy just over the border.
US actor Matthew McConaughey has filed recordings of his image and voice with US patent authorities to protect them from unauthorized usage by artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, a representative said earlier this week. Several video clips and audio recordings were registered by the commercial arm of the Just Keep Livin’ Foundation, a non-profit created by the Oscar-winning actor and his wife, Camila, according to the US Patent and Trademark Office database. Many artists are increasingly concerned about the uncontrolled use of their image via generative AI since the rollout of ChatGPT and other AI-powered tools. Several US states have adopted
A proposed billionaires’ tax in California has ignited a political uproar in Silicon Valley, with tech titans threatening to leave the state while California Governor Gavin Newsom of the Democratic Party maneuvers to defeat a levy that he fears would lead to an exodus of wealth. A technology mecca, California has more billionaires than any other US state — a few hundred, by some estimates. About half its personal income tax revenue, a financial backbone in the nearly US$350 billion budget, comes from the top 1 percent of earners. A large healthcare union is attempting to place a proposal before
KEEPING UP: The acquisition of a cleanroom in Taiwan would enable Micron to increase production in a market where demand continues to outpace supply, a Micron official said Micron Technology Inc has signed a letter of intent to buy a fabrication site in Taiwan from Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電) for US$1.8 billion to expand its production of memory chips. Micron would take control of the P5 site in Miaoli County’s Tongluo Township (銅鑼) and plans to ramp up DRAM production in phases after the transaction closes in the second quarter, the company said in a statement on Saturday. The acquisition includes an existing 12 inch fab cleanroom of 27,871m2 and would further position Micron to address growing global demand for memory solutions, the company said. Micron expects the transaction to
RSS